News
GulfSport Racing LLC, the promoter of the Gulf Radical Cup, has been able to negotiate a new start date for the 2025/26 season. Round 1 will now take place a week earlier, still at Yas Marina Circuit, but now on the 1st and 2nd of November.
This is a positive move, allowing the original clash with the Radical World Finals in VIR (USA) to now be avoided.
Considering this date change, and given tomorrow was the last day of the early entry offer, this has now been extended to the 15th of August.
The Gulf Radical Cup is excited to announce that entries are officially open for the highly anticipated 2025/26 season. Building on a record-breaking year of Radical racing across the Gulf region, the new season promises even more action, grid growth, and opportunities for both experienced competitors and newcomers to the GRC family.
Building on the success of the 2024/25 season, which attracted a record number of entries and showcased some of the most competitive Radical racing globally, the Gulf Radical Cup continues to be the premier destination for drivers seeking high-performance, cost-effective motorsport in the Middle East.
Prospective competitors are encouraged to secure their places early, as grid slots are limited and demand is expected to be strong once again. The online registration form is now live and can be accessed here:
“We’re excited to open entries for what promises to be another fantastic season,” said Fred Jacobs - Series Coordinator. “The calendar provides an outstanding mix of circuit layouts and dates, and we look forward to welcoming both returning drivers and new faces to the paddock.”
For any enquiries regarding entries, technical regulations, or event logistics, please contact: grc@gulf-sport.com
Or, click below to see Racer/Team Info Page:
Despite all the noise and glamour of various local and international series coming and going over the years, the Gulf Radical Cup has ‘blazed a trail’ right up the middle and been the only series to run every one of these 20 years since 2005!
Martin Hope (GulfSport Racing) not leading the field, back on 2005 at the A1 GP!
This season sees some exciting additions to the race schedule, with Round 3 being the ‘SuperPrix’ format. This endurance race format was trialled following the last round of last season; it was greatly received and now has been placed as a championship round.
20 Years after that first race, the ‘GRC’ pack roar in to T1 at the Dubai Autodrome 2025
The race format for the 2025/26 season will otherwise be the same. But now running 19 races over seven events, the other six rounds format is 2 x 25-minute Sprint Races on the Saturday and a 1 x 45-minute Enduro on the Sunday.
Drivers have the option to share the series (and cost) with a second driver by entering as a ‘Team’, changing drivers at the mandatory pit stop in Mini Enduro, and doing a Sprint Race each. With a slight change to the regulations this year, it allows two drivers to enter, but if only one of the pairing can make a race weekend, the points gained that weekend go towards the Team entry, allowing for maximum flexibility.
This season, there will be two pre-season tests in October, one at Yas Marina Circuit and at the Dubai Autodrome, with Round 1 kicking off at the world-famous Yas Marina Circuit on the 8th of November.
Online entries will open on the 1st of July.
For more information relating to the upcoming season or for support with car import and support/storage etc., get in touch on grc@gulf-sport.com
The 2025 Super Prix, organised by GulfSport Racing (Radical UAE), took place last weekend (19th April 2025) on the 4.29 km International Circuit at the Dubai Autodrome.
This inaugural running of the format took the shape of a 2-lap Super Pole qualifying session to determine the grid for an 85-minute endurance race for drivers and teams running the Radical SR3.
It was a day of blue skies and bright sunshine, but all eyes were on the highly anticipated clash between current and former Gulf Radical Cup Champions, Alim Geshev and Alex Bukhantsov. The event also attracted several new faces, as well as experienced and talented competitors, including regulars Alex Novichkov sharing with Marcel Kiefer, Jimmy Chou, Harry Hannam, Kenny Murray sharing with Jon Simmonds, and Sean Simpson sharing with Marcel Kopp.
Super Pole allows drivers just an out lap, two flying laps, and one in lap—so focus and precision are critical, especially as lap times are disallowed if track limits are exceeded.
The session kicked off with the #88 Dream Racing SR3 XXR driven by Sean Simpson, but unfortunately a technical issue brought them to a premature halt. Jon Simmonds went next and set a best lap time of 1:44.667 in his XXR. He was followed by National Champion Alex Novichkov, who, after losing his first flying lap for track limits, set a strong time of 1:41.051. Next up was Harry Hannam in an SR3 XX, whose best lap was 1:41.922. Hannam was followed by Jimmy Chou, who clocked a 1:42.103.
This left the intriguing battle between two of the world’s fastest Radical racers: Alim Geshev and Alex Bukhantsov. Geshev went first and set his best time on his second flying lap—a 1:40.704. Bukhantsov set off exactly 90 seconds later and was quickly up to speed. His first flying lap (1:41.800) was deleted for track limits, and his second lap was a 1:41.171—just 0.467 seconds slower than Geshev.
The Super Prix began with a lightning-fast start from Bukhantsov, fresh from competing in the 2025 Ultimate Cup and Asia Le Mans Series. He took the lead into Turn 1 from his P3 grid slot, followed closely by front-row starters Geshev and Novichkov. Taiwanese teenager Jimmy Chou, who was handed a 5-second penalty for exceeding track limits while following Novichkov, was closely pursued by Kopp, Hannam, and Simmonds who also received a 5-second penalty. As the tyres warmed up, lap times started to fall, and it was 2023/24 Champion Bukhantsov who began to build a gap, pulling nearly 4 seconds clear of Geshev as they reached the one-hour-to-go mark.
As the race progressed, it became apparent that although Geshev remained in P2, he was able to match Bukhantsov’s lap times and even set the fastest lap on Lap 4.
When the pit lane opened after 35 minutes for the mandatory 4-minute pit stop (allowing for driver changes and refuelling), Novichkov was first in to hand over to Marcel Kiefer, followed by Hannam and Kopp, who handed over to Simpson. Bukhantsov then pitted, leaving Geshev in the lead, and was followed in by Chou and Simmonds.
Geshev pitted on Lap 29, hoping his clear laps before the stop would give him the lead once his 4-minute stop was complete. However, it wasn’t to be—Geshev’s stop was 18 seconds longer than Bukhantsov’s perfectly timed 4-minute stop. As the second half of the race began, Geshev was now 19 seconds behind, followed by Jimmy Chou, Hannam, Keifer, Sompson, and Murray. Geshev was lapping faster than Bukhantsov, and with 25 minutes to go, the chase was on.
By the 16-minute mark, Geshev had closed the gap to 16 seconds, gaining at more than 1 second per lap. With 10 minutes remaining, the gap was down to 11 seconds, and it became a nail-biting chase as Geshev could now see Bukhantsov ahead.
Jimmy Chou held a comfortable P3 position, ahead of Harry Hannam, Marcel Kiefer, Simpson, and Murray.
Bukhantsov delivered a flawless race and crossed the finish line just 6.329 seconds ahead of Geshev after flat-out racing over 206 km. Jimmy Chou shared the podium in P3 for the Solo Class drivers.
Taking the top step of the AM/AM class were Novichkov and Kiefer.
GulfSport Racing (Radical UAE) celebrated the 20th season of the one-make Gulf Radical Cup in style with an Awards Night at the Dubai Autodrome Apex Garden. The evening also included awards presented to drivers in the GulfSport-promoted and managed Gulf ProCar Series.
With the customary double points on offer at the last round, this was an important event for those drivers wanting to make their mark in this prestigious Radical championship. Over the course of a 7-round, 21-race season, which ran at the Yas Marina Circuit and the Dubai Autodrome, 39 drivers from around the world participated, supported by a host of professional teams and driver coaches. But it was the recently crowned 2024 Radical Platinum Class World Champion, Alim Geshev, who claimed the 2025 Gulf Radical Cup Champion title after a stellar season in the TTR-run SR3XXR.
Going into the weekend, the battle between Geshev (TTR) and Usmaan Mughal (Relentless/GulfSport Racing) for the championship was highlighted, as during the official test, they were separated by only six hundredths of a second.
Come the Sprint Race qualifying session, with 14 drivers on the circuit, Mughal was able to gain pole by just four-tenths from Geshev, with Marcel Kieffer just three and a half-tenths behind Geshev. This gave Mughal pole position for both Sprint Races. In Sprint Race 1, Mughal made a great start and led from the front. Using his pace seen in qualifying, he was able to keep a gap to Geshev, with Kieffer in an impressive 3rd during his GRC debut.
In Sprint Race 2, Mughal got away again to take the lead and pulled an early gap. Playing with strategy on tires, Mughal pulled away with a blistering pace on newer rubber than his competitors. This left Geshev with Novichkov chasing hard, allowing Mughal to pull further ahead and then control his pace.
But midway through the race, disaster struck for Geshev. With a sudden loss of pressure on his front-right tire, he locked up in a huge cloud of tire smoke into the club link and was out of the race—his first DNF of the season, and it could not have come at a worse time. This left Novichkov and Feyzulin to battle it out for second and third. The pair was closing the gap to Mughal, but he was just running down the clock to claim a second victory of the day. Making progress in Sprint Race 2 was Gulhuseyn Abdullayev from Azerbaijan, running the Bakcell SR3 XXR with GulfSport Racing. He picked up pace in that race, posting the fastest lap time, only second to race winner Mughal.
With the DNF of Geshev and two wins for Mughal, it meant the GRC crown remained unclaimed until the Enduro race played out the following day.
The Sunday morning qualifying session saw Geshev gain pole by five-tenths from Mughal, with TTR-run drivers Novichkov and Kieffer on the second row, ahead of a French third row featuring Hugo Lacasse (GulfSport Racing) and Julien Monie (RAW).
The 45-minute endurance race was, as expected, a close-run thing between Geshev and Mughal, who had a DNF in the previous Enduro race, meaning he would not carry any success penalties. There was plenty of action, with a safety car early in the race. But as the cars were released back to racing, Geshev had a 6-second lead as Mughal pitted, knowing that Geshev would have to serve an additional 15 seconds stationary in the pits as a result of his 2nd place in the last race. When Geshev left the pits, Mughal was in sight, and he set about catching him. But it was not to be, and after 27 laps, Mughal won by just half a second, with Novichkov joining them on the podium.
Geshev was awarded his Championship Title Trophy with 307 points, Mughal was Vice Champion with 275, and Ian Aguilera came third with 253.
The next event is the 2025 Gulf Radical Cup Superprix, an 85-minute endurance race, which will take place on April 18-19.
Reflecting on the season Geshev added:
“Becoming the Gulf Radical Cup Champion feels unreal. This wasn’t just a race season - it was a battle of grit, passion, and precision. The 2024/2025 grid was packed with world-class talent, pushing me to my absolute limit at every turn. That’s what made this championship so special. I’m deeply grateful to GulfSport Racing for creating this incredible platform, to my team TTR for standing by me, to my coach James Winslow, my race engineer George, and my rockstar mechanics. And above all - to my family. Their unwavering support made this dream possible. We didn’t just win - we conquered. “If in doubt - flat out”.”
Racing during Ramadan meant that the main sessions took place in the evening, after the fasting period had ended.
Usmaan Mughal was in great form, securing a double pole for both Sprint Race 1 and 2, as the only driver to dip into the 1:39s. However, as Race 1 got underway, Mughal misjudged the start, pulling away before the red lights went out. Alex Bukhantsov (making a rare appearance this year), who was alongside in P2, watched as Mughal jumped the start. This allowed Mughal to take the lead, but not for long.
In a bizarre turn of events, the circuit timing feed displayed “Safety Car,” causing confusion. Some teams with pit-to-car radios informed their drivers, including Mughal, who started to back off. Realising it was a false alarm, he tried to recover but had already allowed some of his competitors to pass.
As the race settled into a rhythm, Geshev took control at the front, maintaining a consistent pace. Sebastian Murray (currently racing in Indy NXT for 2025) was close behind in second, with Ian Aguilera in third. This remained the order as they crossed the finish line, but celebrations were cut short when a 10-second penalty was handed to Murray for exceeding track limits after receiving a warning during the race. This dropped him to fourth, promoting Bukhantsov to third and onto the podium. Mughal also received a penalty for his jump start, pushing him further down the order.
A few hours later, Sprint Race 2 got underway, with Mughal once again on pole and Murray alongside. However, there was confusion at the start as Murray found himself ahead before the lights went out. Realising his mistake, he dropped back, causing the left side of the grid to back up. On Lap 2, the safety car was deployed after Amir Feyzulin was stranded at Turn 15. After a few laps under caution, racing resumed with Aguilera in the lead, closely followed by Murray and Geshev.
A few laps later, Daremas pulled off at Turn 1 with a gearbox issue. Stuck in a dangerous spot, this triggered another safety car. With only a few laps remaining, the race finished under caution.
As the day drew to a close, the Enduro race began. Chaos erupted right after Turn 1, where a chain reaction of contact took out three cars, bringing out the red flag. After a delay, the race was restarted with a full grid reset. As the cars pulled away, it became clear that Mughal had engine issues, forcing him to retire at the end of the lap—capping off a tough weekend for him.
A few laps later, the red flag was waved again after Novichkov ran wide out of Turn 14, spinning across the track and hitting the wall hard. With the cars lined up for the third restart, Murray took the lead, with Bukhantsov and Geshev chasing hard. However, since this was a night race, it was mandatory to have the front LED running lights on. After the pit stop, Bukhantsov's lights were off, resulting in a technical black flag. This promoted Khazzoum to the third step of the podium.
It was a gruelling race for all, but now there is a four-week break before the final round of the championship. Geshev has taken the lead in the points standings, but with double points on offer in the last round, everything is still up for grabs.
Gulf Radical Cup Round 5 - Yas Marina Circuit
Every round of the Gulf Radical Cup has taken place on different circuit layouts, and this time, it was the 3km North Circuit at Yas Marina, which brings the drivers back to the start/finish straight immediately after Turns 6 & 7 at the end of the long back straight. The two Japanese ‘Seven X Seven’ drivers were absent, as was current GRC Champion Alex Bukhantsov, but the series was joined by 23-year-old ‘Historics’ racer Harry Barton, enjoying his first experience in a Radical SR3 XXR.
As always, the drivers had plenty of seat time, with a three-hour practice session preceding the official 30-minute test and Saturday morning's Sprint Race qualification. The championship contenders' top 10 lap times were very close, setting the grid for the first race as follows:
Sprint Race 1 Qualifying Top Ten:
P1 - Usmaan Mughal (GulfSport Racing) - 1:03.604
P2 - Ian Aguilera (RAW Motorsport) - 1:03.949
P3 - Alim Geshev (TT Racing) - 1:04.103
P4 - Andy Lowe (DW Racing) - 1:04.651
P5 - Peri Daremas (GulfSport Racing) - 1:04.692
P6 - Amir Feyzulin (TT Racing) - 1:04.981
P7 - Alex Novichkov (TT Racing) - 1:04.982
P8 - Julien Monie (RAW Motorsports) - 1:04.984
P9 - Ibby Hadid (Almeida Motorsports) - 1:05.155
P10 - Alex Chachava (Dream Racing) - 1:05.349
Sprint Race 1
The first Sprint Race began with Geshev making a great start, jumping into the lead from the second row. However, Aguilera soon moved to the front ahead of Geshev and Mughal, who were being closely tracked by Andy Lowe. Monie made impressive progress, climbing from P8 to P5.
The safety car was deployed after an incident involving Khazzoum, who retired following a clash with Daremas, while Feyzulin came together with Hadeed. After the restart, Mughal managed to take P2 from Geshev and went on to set the fastest lap of the race, but the victory went to Aguilera, followed by Mughal in second and Geshev in third.
Sprint Race 2
The grid for the second Sprint Race saw Mughal on pole again, alongside young Mexican driver Aguilera, with Geshev and Daremas on the second row, followed by Lowe and Feyzulin in P5 and P6.
At the start, the order remained unchanged, with Mughal gradually building a two-second lead until Daremas and Feyzulin made contact, causing both to retire. This allowed Novichkov and Khazzoum to move up to P5 and P6, followed closely by Karim and Monie.
Parish then had an unfortunate incident with Daremas, bringing out the Safety Car. With just three minutes remaining, the race ended under caution, securing victory and the fastest lap for Mughal, with Aguilera and Geshev completing the podium.
Enduro Race Qualifying
The short qualifying session for the main Enduro race took place on Sunday morning. Once again, Mughal secured pole position with a lap time of 1:04.398, just 0.251 seconds ahead of Geshev and 0.305 seconds ahead of Aguilera. Lowe put in a strong performance to take P4, with Novichkov and Lowe locking out Row 3.
Enduro Race
Pit stop success penalties from the previous event had little effect, as both Chris Preen and Fujinami, who had taken P1 and P2 last time, were absent. However, Aguilera, who had finished P3 in the previous round, had an extra 10 seconds added to his mandatory pit stop.
The Enduro race got underway with a poor start from pole-sitter Mughal. Geshev seized the opportunity to take the lead, while Daremas made a strong start, moving up to P2 from the second row, with Aguilera right behind in third.
After a few laps, Aguilera moved into third and began chasing the leaders. Shortly after, the safety car was deployed following an incident involving Julien Monie. As the safety car circulated, the pit window was approaching. When the safety car pulled in, some cars immediately dove into the pits, while others opted to stay out for a few extra laps.
However, Aguilera got too close to the safety car during the restart and was handed a drive-through penalty.
With various pit penalties from the last race being served, Geshev retained the lead, with Mughal right behind him. A train of cars followed, including Feyzulin, Lowe, Novichkov, and Daremas. However, Feyzulin was carrying a 10-second penalty for overtaking off-track at the start. Daremas managed to pass Novichkov to close in on Lowe and Feyzulin. Meanwhile, Aguilera, having served his drive-through penalty during a second safety car period, was rapidly catching the pack.
As the race approached the 45-minute mark, Mughal executed a brilliant pass on Geshev to take the lead. At the same time, Aguilera had fought his way back into contention. However, on the final lap, Geshev made a bold move into the last corner, diving down the inside of Mughal, leaving him with nowhere to go and clinching the victory.
Andy Lowe showed enormous potential, securing his first GRC podium finish in third, followed closely by Daremas, Novichkov, and Barton. Mughal took the fastest lap, while Aguilera was dropped out of contention after receiving a penalty for failing to serve his drive-through within three laps.
Looking Ahead
Round 6 of the Gulf Radical Cup will take place at the Dubai Autodrome on March 8.
Round 4, Gulf Radical Cup, 2024/25 Season, Yas Marina GP Corkscrew Circuit
This was a much anticipated event on the 16-turn 4.572 kms Corkscrew circuit. It uses the majority of the GP layout but turns sharp left at Turn-4 instead of heading down to the hairpin that precedes the long back straight. The twisty downhill track that intersects the back straight is named after the famous Corkscrew turn at Laguna Seca. Whilst shorter circuits make for close racing and difficult overtaking, this weekend would prove particularly tough as the grid was filled with some highly competitive international racers who wanted to make their mark on this prestigious UAE championship.
GulfSport Racing (Radical UAE) was also running Round 4 of their Gulf ProCar series which included Ferrari 296 Challenge and Porsche 992 Cup cars so lap times in the Saturday morning qualifying session were interesting. The best Radical SR3 lap was 1:46.816 and the fastest ProCar was a 510bhp Ferrari 296 with a 1:47.739.
One of the attractions for the 7 teams and 23 drivers entered was masses of track time. It started with a 3 hour track-day session on Thursday evening, which saw more than 30 drivers doing a combined total exceeding 1,000 laps, followed by another 3 hour test on Friday morning, the official 30 minute test, a 20 minute sprint quali session then 2 x 20 minute Sprint race, 15 minute Enduro quali and the 45 minute Enduro. A total of eight and a half hours if you are fit enough to handle it.
Of note, this was the largest grid ever assembled for a round of the Gulf Radical Cup since its inception in January 2006 largely due to teams and drivers seeing the opportunity for great value / high quality seat time in the warm winter weather of the UAE. The established GRC regulars were joined by Robert Greenwood and Chris Preen from the UK, Stanislav Novikov (RUS), Illia Sidorov (RUS), and Watarai Taichi who joined Kiyoto Fujinami and their Japanese ‘Seven x Seven’ team owner Bankcy.
Sprint Qualifying.
With just enough time for 10 laps in the bright morning sunshine it was perhaps not surprising that the two-time Super GT GT300 Champion Kyoto Fujinami claimed pole position for the first Sprint race with a very quick 1:46.816. Ian Aguilera was second on 1:47.133 with Watarai Taichi third on 1:47.145. Local champions Usmaan Mughal and Alim Geshev finished the session in P4 and P5 respectively showing just how high the bar had been raised by these three professional racers.
Sprint Race 1.
Given the number of champions and previous race winners on the grid this first race of the weekend was always going to be tough. In fact everyone wanted to see if a 18 year old hotshot from Mexico, who won both of the previous Sprint Races could now beat a double GT300 champion from Japan.
As the 25 minute race started it was Aguilera who got to turn 1 first, with the two Japanese drivers right on his tail. As the laps rolled by Fujinami was able to pass the leader to lead the pack. However shortly after that track limit penalties started to show up, for both Fujinami and Aguilera. But with Yang and Geshev still part of the train of cars, would they be able to hang onto the their positions?
As the chequered flag came out and after penalties were applied for track limits the top ten points scorers were Alim Geshev with the win, then Jack Yang, Kiyoto Fujinami, Ian Aguilera, Watarai Taichi, Chris Preen, Usmaan Mughal, Peri Deremas, Alex Novichkov and Amir Feyzulin.
Sprint Race 2.
The grid for Race 2 was set by the second best lap times from the Quali session which saw the two quick Japanese drivers, Taichi and Fujinami on the front row with Aguilera and Yang on row 2, and Geshev and Mughal on row 3. This was surely going to be one of the closest sprint races ever seen at the Yas Marina Circuit.
As the race started it was Alex Novichkov who got away fastest and lead into turn, followed by the rest of the pack. With Geshev and Lowe making partucualry good starts. Watarai and Fujinami got poor starts and dropped back, but were charging hard to get back up the field.
But as they were doing to, disaster struck and both were handed 5 second penalties for formation lap infringements, this was too reversed for Fujinami post race, but hampered the chances of a podium for Watarai.
While Novichkov had a sterling effort he was not able to hold off Aguilera, Geshev and Fujinami.
Mid way through the race the safety car was deployed to deal with an incident on the south circuit side of the track, but just for a couple laps before a last lap single dash to the flag.
So at the end, after the penalty was applied for Watarai it was business as usual for the young Mexican hotshot Ian Aguilera with local champion Alim Geshev just over 2 seconds behind followed very closely by Fujinami. Alex Novichkov gained valuable points in P4 followed by Chris Preen, Usmaan Mughal, Jack Yang, Watarai Taichi, Peri Deremas and Bankcy all of who scored points.
Enduro Qualifying.
The Sunday morning session saw 23 Radicals, 18 of them being the very latest SR3XXR model which has only been available since February 2023. It was also interesting to see BTCC driver Bobby Thompson, Jack Yang’s driver coach and co-driver in the two-driver Enduro race, setting some quick laps. The American Ben Curry would also be sharing with his driver coach Nigel Greensall.
Just 3 laps in, with Aguilera, Mughal and Chris Preen at the top of the timesheet the session was red flagged when Ilia Sodorov stopped in Turn 1. The session restarted with 5 minutes left for the drivers to do their best.
The last timed lap of the session was completed by Mughal who put in a staggering 1:47.144 for Pole, just .325 ahead of Fujinami, Aguilera, Yang-Thompson, Taichi and Preen who all lapped within 1 second.
Enduro Race.
After penalties were applied from the Quali session, Aguilera was gridded back on P10 and Alim Geshev on P17. As pole-sitter Mughal had won the previous Enduro race he would face a 20 second success penalty added to his 45 second mandatory pitstop, Aguilera would have 15 seconds added and Geshev 10.
But it was UK Radical racer Chris Preen who took the lead from P6 which he held until lap 6 when a red flag interrupted the race due to the #4 car of Andrew Lowe suffering an onboard fire between turns 11 and 12.
After a long break for track cleaningthe race restarted and the top 10 were Preen, Fujinami, Aguilera, Mughal, Yang-Thompson, Deremas, Strijder, Novichkov, Geshev and Greenwood although, the fastest man on track had been Watarai Taichi who had started from the pit lane and was up to P18. The young Mexican took the lead on Lap 10 and Geshev was also making good progress now up to P7.
When the pit lane opened at 26 minutes to go, it was Mughal and Yang who pitted first followed by 7 cars. Over the next few laps everyone was able to make their stop, and by Lap 17 the top 10 was now Preen, Fujiyama, Deremas, Yang/Thompson, Aguilera, Novichkov, Geshev, Taichi, Strijder and Mughal; the pitstop success penalties clearly having a big effect on Mughal, Aguilera and Geshev.
On Lap 19 there was a problem at the end of the back straight which required the Safety Car. Unfortunately it came out in the middle of the pack and didn’t pick up the first 4 drivers and so the race finished under the Safety Car with Chris Preen (Valour Racing) taking a well earned victory. Sharing the podium with him was Kiyoto Fujinami (GulfSport Racing) and Ian Aguilera (RAW Motorsports).
Bobby Thompson finished in P4 ahead of Peri Deramas, Alim Geshev, Alex Novichkov, Usmaan Mughal, Watarai Taichi and Joel Strijder who all scored valuable points.
Round 5 will take place on 22nd and 23rd February in Abu Dhabi.
The Gulf Radical Cup, promoted by GulfSport Racing (Radical UAE) continues to attract a high standard of driver in 2025 with 19 entries for Round 3 of this 7 x round one-make championship. Held on the 5.281 kms Yas Marina Grand Prix Circuit the grid included two current Radical World Champions (Ian Aguilera and Alim Geshev), the current Gulf Radical Cup vice-champion (Usmaan Mughal), Radical Cup North America and GT competitor Greg Gorski, accomplished racer Zig Fuhrmeister from the Radical Australia Cup and another American, Ben Curry. Races were live streamed on You Tube with commentary from two motorsport experts, Phil Anson and Chris Milbourne.
After two rounds the points leaders are Aguilera (101), Geshev (92), Mughal (48) and Novichkov (43). But with success penalties, double points at the last round and 21 races in total, anything can happen!
The early morning Sprint Qualifying session uses the driver’s fastest and 2nd fastest lap times to determine their grid position for both 25 x minute Sprint races. Aguilera showed that he meant business with a remarkable 1:57.119 on his final lap, just one tenth quicker than Mughal. Both races were won by the 18 year old Telmex sponsored Aguilera from Dubai based Alim Geshev. The only driver that was able to put any real pressure on these two Radical World Champions was Usmaan Mughal who unfortunately had to retire his Team Relentless car in the first Sprint, but made the podium in the second.
Click for Sprint Race 1 Coverage…
The first race took place in perfect weather conditions with Aguilera and Mughal on the front row of the rolling start. But it wasn’t long before Geshev was able to get past Mughal. The racing was intense as drivers fought for every championship point. Julien Monie made great progress from P8 up to P4. Jack Yang and Fuhrmeister came together at the end of the back straight which saw Yang’s car retired and Peri Deremas getting past Ibby Hadeed. Mughal’s retirement on Lap 6 enabled Alex Novichkov to pile pressure on Monie. Jahid Karim made contact the wall entering Turn 1 which brought out the safety car to lead the cars slowly towards the chequered flag as the clock counted down to zero.
Click for Sprint Race 2 Coverage…
Later that evening under the bright Yas Marina lights the second Sprint race exploded into action, but without Alex Novichkov whose car was left stranded on the grid as his fellow racers went off on the formation lap. Yet again the young Mexican held his lead into Turn1 closely followed by Mughal whose car had been restored to health by the GulfSport team. A very determined Geshev was right behind them and managed to take Mughal into Turn 5. Monie was on form and running in 4th with Jack Yang right on his tail followed by Joel Strijder and Ibby Hadeed. Amir Feyzulin had a big moment which dropped him down to 15th and then Yang succumbed to pressure and also fell back. The cameras focused on some entertaining racing in the middle of the pack where Hadeed was having trouble keeping Johnny Khazzoum, Zig Fuhrmeister and Yang behind him. But the talented Yang managed to out-manoeuvre them all to take 7th and then started to pull away. At the end it was another victory for 2024 Ligier European Series vice-champion Aguilera from Geshev and Mughal.
The Abu Dhabi event included not only the Gulf Radical Cup but also the Michelin 6 Hour Abu Dhabi, Formula Regional Middle East, Formula 4 Middle East and the Clio Cup Middle East. So Sunday’s 45 minute Gulf Radical Cup Enduro Race was scheduled to start at 10pm with a 15 minute quali session at 6.45 to set the grid.
Being careful not to abuse cold new slicks, the field had to make the best use of this short session. But it was business as usual as Aguilera quickly put in a lap of 1:57.619 to secure pole ahead of Geshev, Mughal and Yang who had all lapped within 8 tenths of a second around the 5.28 kilometre circuit!
Part of the challenge for drivers is the use of pitstop / success penalties that are added to their mandatory 45 second pitstop based on how well they did at the previous Enduro race. In principle it’s not unlike the BOP (Balance of Performance) mechanism that GT racing adopts to create a more level playing field for different marques / models of car. This would hand Geshev an additional 15 seconds, Aquilera 10 seconds and both Novichkov and Fuhrmeister 5 seconds. Current Gulf Radical Cup Champion Alex Bukhanstov, who would have had an additional 20 seconds from his previous victory, sat this Race Weekend one out as he was competing in the Michelin 6 Hour Abu Dhabi.
Click for Enduro Race Coverage…
Eighteen colourful SR3 Radicals took to the grid for the 45 minute race, the last of the weekend.
But surprise, surprise. Championship points leader Aguilera was positioned at the back of the grid and Geshev was in P4 following post-qualifying penalties. Pakistan’s Mughal was now on pole and China’s Jack Yang was next to him on the front row. Behind them were the fast improving Peri Deremas and Platinum World Champion Geshev. Bearing in mind it was now 10pm, the track temperature was only 20C which would present the additional challenge of managing cold slicks. As they set off on the formation lap, Deremas was unable to restart his engine and all the hard work seemed lost until it fired up and he caught up the pack but now in P18.
As they blasted down to Turn 1 three wide it was Mughal who held the lead from Geshev and Yang. Noticeably, Aguilera had made up two places before he got to Turn 1. They all got through cleanly and Geshev used the slipstream down to the end of the long back straight to take the lead going into Turn 6 and by the end of the lap 2 Aguilera was up to P5 and would soon be in P4 behind Yang having got past Amir Feyzulin, Zig Fuhrmeister, Joel Strijder and the American Greg Gorski who were nose to tail and enjoying their battle. Strijder tried to out-break Fuhrmeister into Turn 6 and ended up spinning and losing 6 places. Swiss driver Pascal Bachmann got tagged and spun at Turn 5 and just as he was restarting the Safety Car was called which allowed the field to close right up again leading to some spectacular racing, particularly Aguilera overtaking Yang under the hotel for P3.
With the pit window open and Aguilera unable to close the gap to Mughal, the 18 year old Mexican came into the pits to serve his 55 second stop, followed closely by Jack Yang who would hand over to his driver coach Bobby Thompson whilst serving their 45 second stop. Geshev stayed out with Mughal following close behind knowing very well that Geshev would have to serve a 15 second longer pitstop than himself.
The Gulf Radical Cup not only attracts talented drivers but also some of the top driver coaches including Tommy Erdos, Ross Kaizer, Nigel Greensall, Bobby Thompson, James Winslow and George King. Hence the high quality of competition.
Once the dust had settled from all the pitstops, with 18 minutes of racing to go the order was now Mughal with a lead of 5 seconds over Aguilera from Geshev, Deramas, Thompson, Feyzulin, Strijder, Hadeed, Fuhrmeister, Novichkov, Khazzoum, Bachman, Gorski, Monie, Chachava, Kopp, Curry and Karim. The race commentators were now discussing if Mughal would finally be the one who could stop Aguilera winning all the races.
Whilst the cameras rightly followed the epic battle that Feyzulin, Strijder, Hadeed and Fuhrmeister were enjoying, the four front runners ahead of them were doing their very best to close the gap to Mughal who was now giving it 100% instead of looking after his tyres as his driver coach, Tommy Erdos would have recommended. Of course the same was true of Aguilera but he was only taking tenths off the 4 second gap each lap with just 8 laps to go. So as the 45 minute time limit came ever closer and Geshev dropped back, the gap between the two front runners started to reduce significantly making for very intense and exciting viewing. Four minutes from the end we saw Bobby Thompson make a text book manoeuvre to outbreak Deremas into Turn 6 to take fourth position.
But at the end of the race it was the Gulf Radical Cup National Champion Usmaan Mughal who made himself uncatchable to win the race with a disappointed teenager just half a second behind and Alim Geshev more than 7 seconds adrift in P3. The BTCC pro, Bobby Thompson finished what Jack Yang had started, to claim a creditable 4th place followed by Peri Deremas who after a couple of track infringement penalties were handed out lost his 5th place finish to Joel Strijder.
So yet again, the Gulf Radical Cup clearly demonstrated why Radicals are the world’s best selling production sports prototypes and the basis of 12 similar Radical Cup championships around the globe.
Round 4 will take place on Jan 31st to 2nd Feb in Abu Dhabi.
Less than two weeks after the amazing Kinetic 7 Radical World Finals at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, Round 2 of the Gulf Radical Cup took place on the 5.390kms GP Circuit of the Dubai Autodrome.
QUALIFYING
This early morning qualification session set the grid for the two upcoming Sprint races, where a driver’s fastest lap is used for his race 1 grid position and the second fastest lap for race 2.
17 beautifully prepared Radical production sports prototypes took to the circuit, 13 of them the very latest SR3 XXR model, but all with identical Hankook slick tyres and 1500cc 4-cylinder RPE built engines and 6-speed transmission. This provides a level playing field where driver skill is more important than the car. The fastest lap time of 2:01.552 (almost identical to the fastest Porsche 992 Cup Car lap in the Gulf ProCar quali session) was set by the Team Relentless car of Usmaan Mughal (GulfSport Racing).
SPRINT RACE 1
This was clearly going to be a very tough race with four of the fastest Radical racers on the planet on the front two rows of the 17 driver grid. Team Relentless / GulfSport Racing’s Usmaan Mughal was on pole next to Platinum Class World Champ Alim Geshev (TT Racing). Right behind them was current GRC Champion Alex Bukhantsov (TT Racing) and Pro1500 World Champ Ian Aguilera (RAW Motorsports).
The rolling start saw a terrific battle as Mughal held his advantage down to Turn 1 where behind him there was a coming together of Joel Strijder and Novichkov whose car was stranded.
Mughal lost his chance of victory at Turn 7 on Lap 1 as he spun off the track trying to pass Geshev, and then being collected by Andy Lowe. But, recovering into 12th position, now with a lot of work to do as the Safety Car was called whilst they cleared Alex Novichkov’s (TT Racing) car.
As the race resumed we saw Aguilera pressuring Geshev who managed to up his pace and win the race with a 7 second lead. But the action behind saw Bukhantsov continually pressuring the young Mexican for 2nd, and Mughal storming back through the field from 12 to finish the race in 4th, setting the fastest lap of the race until Geshev put in a lap just 4 thousandths of a second quicker on his final tour.
SPRINT RACE 2
The second sprint saw the same front runners on the grid, but this time it was Geshev on pole with Mughal next to him, with Bukhantsov in P3 next to the young Mexican Aguilera. It was interesting to see relative newcomers Joel Strijder (GulfSport Racing) and Peri Peremas (GulfSport Racing) right behind them and ready to pick up the pieces if they made a mistake.
But it was Mughal who made the mistake allowing Aguilera and Bukhantsov to get past him, and with the Dutchman Strijder only inches away from his rear diffuser, but getting into in second place out of turn 1. The action behind them was intense as Lebanon’s Johnny Khazzoum (RAW), Frenchman Julien Monie (RAW Motorsports) and Deremas got too close and it was the fabulous Leyton House car of Monie that came off worst and was retired.
Meanwhile Novichkov and Deremas were staying with the leading group, looking for any mistakes and Mughal appeared to be being held up by Bukhantsov who was dropping back from from Aguilera as Geshev gradually eased away.
Mughal went to pass Bukhantsov on lap 6 so that he could chase down the two front runners, but ended up with contact and was out of the race, Bukhantsov lost several place to rejoin in P10 and the safety car was brought out whilst they recovered Mughal’s car. So the order was now Geshev from Aguilera, Novichkov, Feyzulin, Deremas and Strijder. Racing continued on Lap 9 which saw Geshev and Aguilera, who set the fastest lap of the race pulling away from Novichkov for the final podium places. Bukhantsov was later handed a disqualification for the contact with Mughal at turn 1.
Enduro Sprint Quali
The Sunday morning Quali session gave everyone another chance to reset and target some championship points in the upcoming 45 minute race. After 7 laps of this short session it was Mughal, again on pole with a 2:02.077 lap which was just .074 ahead of Aguilera who was just .235 ahead of Geshev. Bukhantsov was fourth so yet again these same four would be contesting main race victory.
Enduro Race
The 45 minute Enduro Race features a mandatory 45 second pitstop after 18 minutes but success penalties meant that previous race winner Aguilera would have an extra 20 seconds, Geshev would have 15 and Mughal 10. If the race is close when the pit lane opens then these penalties can have a significant effect.
As 17 cars moved as one in two strictly controlled columns it was Mughal trying to defend his lead into Turn 1. But fresh from his big win at the Radical World Finals, where Dubai based Geshev was able win all his races to become Platinum Class World Champion driving an SR10 XXR, he again showed his speed as he was quickest in Sector 1 to take the lead from PRO1500 Class World Champion Aguilera followed by Mughal and Bukhantsov all nose to tail.
These four very fast drivers were being chased by Amir Feyzulin (TT Racing), Novichkov, Andy Lowe (DW Racing), Deremas and Strijder who would tangle with Deremas leading to his retirement on Lap 4.
The race was extremely close at the front as Geshev held onto his lead and Mughal got past Aguilera for 2nd place setting fastest lap of the race. Australian Zig Fuhrmeister, who commutes from Melbourne to compete in the Gulf Radical Cup was making good progress as he got past David Tan.
Then just as Geshev was coming under pressure for the first time, disaster truck for Mughal, with an engine issue, but then immediately pitted for his mandatory stop along with Aguilera and Bukhantsov. Geshev stayed out for another couple of laps.
Once all pit stops were completed, GRC Champion Bukhantsov, who had no additional success penalty to serve was in the lead some 5 seconds ahead of Geshev, from Feyzulin, Novichkov, Aguilera, Lowe, Mughal, Fuhrmeister, Deremas, David Tan (GulfSport Racing), Khazzoum, Ibby Hadded (GulfSport Racing), Alex Chachava (Dream Racing), Marcel Kopp (Dream Racing) and Frenchman Jahi Karim (Dream Racing).
A couple of laps later Aguilera took Novichkov for P4 and Mughal got past Lowe for 6th.
As Bukhantsov extended his lead to 8.6 seconds, Mughal got past Novichkov but then dropped it in Sector 1 on lap 17 bringing out the safety car.
The race finished under the safety car with GRC Champ Alex Bukhantsov gaining valuable championship points for the victory, ahead of Alim Geshev and Ian Aguilera.
Round 3 of the Gulf Radical Cup takes place at the Yas Marina Circuit 17-19th January 2025.
